art journal

I’ve never done a vlog before. (It’s a little weird talking to a camera as if it’s a crowd of people.) Something’s, however, are very difficult to explain in text, especially when those things are of a more serious nature. I don’t like making my friends uncomfortable, and even if we’re not technically that close, I’d still prefer to not run you off…especially after being gone for so long!

The following video consists of two parts. Part one is only about two minutes, in which I explain where I’ve been rather than chatting you up about art on here in the web-o-sphere. The second half, which is far longer, is all about the oh my gosh that’s so cool mail that I received this past week. Trust me when I say: you do not want to miss out on how awesomesauce this thing is! Just click the video below to play it or click HERE to see it on YouTube.

If you made it through my vlog, yay! And thank you! If not, that’s okay too, because I’m going to tell you all about my surprise art mail, including images below!

So here it is: I was zined! “Zined?” you ask, “What is a Zined?” Being Zined is a magical thing that happens to you, courtesy of the Zine Squad, and you never even know it’s coming.The Zine Squad consists of three talented artists, who make collaborative art books, mailing it to one another until the pages are filled; they call these art books “zines.” The three awesome Zine Squad ladies are: Vanessa (Website, Instagram), Julia (Website, Instagram), and Katie (Website, Instagram). From my understanding, the Zine Squad customarily also asks a fourth person to be involved with the making of a zine, and recruited Holly (Instagram) for the creation of my zine—which is accordingly titled “A Lovely Layered Zine.” The following photos are all of this gorgeous work of art, which so pleasantly appeared in the mailbox of yours truly! I’m honored!

A Lovely Layers Zine, Cover

The cover reads, “A Lovely Layers Zine.”

A Lovely Layers Zine, Pages 3 and 4

Page three reads, “‘Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.’ Henry David Thoreau.” Page four reads, “Little rituals are the secret to stability.”

A Lovely Layers Zine, Pages 5 and 6

Page six reads, “Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t you, so that you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.”

a Lovely Layers Zine, Pages 7 and 8

Page seven reads, “If you went back and changed every mistake you’d ever made—you’d erase yourself.”

A Lovely Layers Zine, Pages 9 and 10

Page nine reads, “Unconditional support and friendship have come to you.” (Note: Thank you ladies! I need this!)

My zine also came with a note, which reads “Hey Emily! Guess What? You’ve been zined. We hope you love this Layer’s/Frida Zine. XO -Zine Squad” So: Dear Zine Squad, Thank you for this wonderful gift! I do love it!! This zine is amazing, you’re amazing, and the timing was perfect! I love you all a million times over!!

A Lovely Layers Zine, Open, Viewed From Top

So blog readers/vlog watchers, are you intrigued, amazed, and in love as much as I am with this Lovely Layers Zine and the Zine Squad? Feel free to visit each of their sites, and go give the Zine Squad’s Instagram a look-see and a follow by clicking here: @zinesquad. Leave a comment below if you’d like to know anymore about my Lovely Layer Zine, or the group that brought the Zine Squad together: Get Messy!

Get Messy links are affiliate links. I will receive a small portion of the sale if you use these links to subscribe to the Get Messy community for an annual membership. You support this blog and my ability to continue making awesome content through the use of these links and it doesn’t cost you an extra penny to use these links! All other links included in this post are not affiliate links; they are included for educational purposes and for your convenience. (Because you’re the best and I love you.)

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Oh where, oh where has EmK gone? Mostly vet offices, unfortunately. Two sick little boys have been keeping me busy these past couple of weeks, and I’ve become a full-time pancreas for one of my furbabies. Unfortunately, blogging had to take the back seat for a while as I got into the groove of learning how to watch insulin levels and convincing fuzzies that not-so-tasty medications are worth the far tastier treats and cuddles. (The only sugar level that I was ever used to watching was the decent of Ben & Jerry’s as it slowly disappeared from the pint.) But I’m happy to say that all surgeries are scheduled, I’ve become a master medication granter, and I am so ready to get back into the studio and share my love of all things creative! Starting next week, I’ll be back on the following schedule!

I’m beyond thrilled to share with you that this post is more than just a recap on where I’ve been—it’s also part of something MUCH BIGGER! This is stop number three of nine on a rainbow road, aka The BlogHopofColor! The Creative Team for the art journalling community Get Messy is connecting today to celebrate Season 15: Color! We are sharing spreads today from our personal art journals…featuring specific colors of the rainbow! I am sharing a yellow page with you today, the happy color of life, warmth, and enlightenment. I think we all could use a little more yellow in our lives, so this spread was just the kind of art that I was needing to make!

Yellow Art Journal Spread

If you just ran through the old “ROY G BIV,” you may have realized that there are seven colors of the rainbow, not nine. But what about the combination of all to create white and black?! Every color combined in the visible spectrum creates white, and every color of pigment combined creates black. Two very talented Creative Team members have been granted these colors to portray in their art journals, and I’ll be the first to admit they have fabulously succeeded!! Want to know how? Stay on the train and get off at the next stop to follow the links!

Yellow Instax Instant Camera

As you can see in the picture above, my yellow spread features a photo in a golden hue and a yellow instant film camera. That’s because I took the photo with that camera using a golden filter, and then adhered the picture to my spread with a liberal amount of matte medium. I specifically purchased this camera for instant photos that could be used in my art journals. So far, it has been a perfect fit! The photos are small enough to fit on any page without giving my spreads a scrapbook look. I even found a set of physical filters for the camera, which clip to the lens and change the hue of my photos, guaranteeing any photo that I take to match my style of limited color schemes!

Do you have any new supplies that you’re in love with?! I’m always on the lookout for fun and unexpected supplies like this camera! Thanks for visiting me, and don’t forget to follow the rainbow by hopping along for the Get Messy Celebration of Season 15: Color!

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After an accidental two week long hiatus from this blog, I’m returning to you with a bombardment of posts! Hurrah for filling up you email/blog feed with artsy goodness. (But my apologies for taking so long to get back to you.) Since I’ve been gone, I’ve been obsessively playing with my new Daniel Smith watercolors—a medium that just doesn’t fit among the pages of my art journals. With the holiday last Sunday, I also didn’t engage in a live stream, causing my only scheduled journaling time to be neglected. It’s rather difficult to post about art journaling when one is not art journaling. However, I did host a live stream this past Sunday, and the following photo is of the page that I began during that stream!

“Our Wilderness” Work In Progress Art Journal Spread

Usually, my spread’s meanings are influenced by the imagery that I use and the color schemes that come about organically. However, this page was directly inspired by a single piece of collage imagery—a picture of two silhouettes at the edge of a canyon, looking out into the long stretch of stone. You see, the husband and I are going on vacation soon, and I have reserved us a stay in an isolated yurt among the mountains of a faraway state; it’s no wonder an image of a couple in the wilderness would speak to me on the cusp of our private adventure! The natural colors of the landscape determined my color choices as well, a collection of browns and greens. It’s a combination that I may not have otherwise used. The following photo is of this spread, after about two days of work, as I struggled to get myself away from watercolors and into an art journaling head-space.

“Our Wilderness” Completed Art Journal Spread

I was able to test out a few new supplies in this spread, including the Mermaid Markers from the new Jane Davenport series. The colors used in this spread include “Seaweed,” “Siren,” and “Reef,” which are two green colors and a brown. The set of Mermaid Markers includes a piece of paper that discuss the contents of the brush markers, stating that the ink is a dye base (rather than pigment) and are not lightfast. While I have no issue using products that are not lightfast within the confines of my journal pages, it was a little disheartening to see that the markers—which cost over $3 a piece at $40 for 12—cannot be used in any for-sale artwork due to not being lightfast. Please note that this is not something stated on the exterior of the packaging, and—at the time of this post being published—not disclosed on the two exclusive websites that sell the product. The “Siren” color can be seen in the photo below, used to outline the silhouettes in the collage imagery.

“Our Wilderness” Closeup of Left Bottom

Like some of my other liquid ink markers, the colorants in the Mermaid Markers bled up through the acrylic paints applied over top of the marks even though the marks were dry. In this case, the acrylic paint that I used was the Liquitex Professional white gesso, so I feel very confident in saying that only a very thick coat of paint would be able to hide the marks made by these markers. Although I wouldn’t call this a “con,” as it could be used very effectively as a base layer beneath gesso and paint, it’s definitely not a “pro” when it happens unexpectedly. I will, however, be playing with the Mermaid Markers quite a bit, especially during my vacation, as they are wonderfully portable colorants and complement my current infatuation with watercolor. You can see the bleed-though of the “Siren” color in the white icicle shapes in bottom right corner of the image below.

Our Wilderness” Closeup of Right Bottom

I didn’t mean to neglect my blog duties, and even though this post is coming out Wednesday evening instead of Monday day, I want you to know that Wednesday’s usual Freebie post will still be coming out this week, just a day late! I sincerely thank you for sticking around while I found my footing earlier this month, and want to remind you: I will be streaming every Sunday at 8 pm EST on my Instagram, working in my art journal for all to see! I hope that you can join me sometime, and I especially hope that you’ll be making art with me, chatting about how awesome art journaling is, and letting me know if you have any questions about the many art supplies that I seem to be hoarding. Also, feel free to drop me a line by commenting here on the blog with any questions—or just to say hi!

Disclaimer: I have recently become an Amazon and Get Messy affiliate. Amazon links and Get Messy links are affiliate links. I will receive a small portion of the sale if you use these links to purchase the art supplies or subscribe to the Get Messy community for an annual membership, without any extra cost to you. You support this blog and my ability to continue making awesome content through the use of these links! (And also gain my unending gratitude!!!) The Jane Davenport website and all other links included in this post are not affiliate links; they are included for educational purposes and for your convenience.

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Today’s art journal spread came about in under 24 hours, which is quite a feat for me to accomplish in a space of 11″ x 19″! There are quite a few elements to this page that I’ve never created before, and are now happily added to my artistic arsenal! The color palette is one, but the use of a radiating ombré is really where I’ve taken notice. There are two places on this spread where this new technique has taken life, but the bottom right hand corner really commands my attention! In this same location, you may notice a faint pattern over top the oval shapes that decorate this ombré. Here, I have used a gloss black acrylic over matte black gesso—and I love the effect!

“Overgrown” Art Journal Spread

“Overgrown” Closeup of Bottom Right

Another place where I employed a new-to-me technique is the addition of a border. To keep with my style, this border is not only messy, but also full of details! Using a dip nib pen, I drew tiny bubbles along the edge of my spread with a Golden brand fluid acrylic. Afterwords, I sporadically filled in some of those bubbles with the ink that was used to paint my florals; I also returned to this border with some of the background color, a pastel green, to make a few of these bubbles contrast against the pink! I’ve never been happy with the borders that I’ve attempted to employ on my pages, but I might be giving this messy boarder a new part-time job!

“Overgrown” Closeup of Bottom Left Corner

I don’t know how it’s happened, but somehow I’m allowing florals to slip onto my journal pages. It’s a bit strange for me, but I’m not at all averse to this spread! The flowers shown here are made from loose strokes of a color mixed from white fluid acrylic paint and bright red India ink—and it was fun to play with this combination of mediums. That being said, if you’d also like to try out this mixture of wet mediums, be sure to give yourself plenty of drying time and use a technique to keep your pages from sticking together, because these florals are super glossy!

“Overgrown” Closeup of Left Page

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing something different from me today!

P.S. Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of this blog! What?!

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Do you ever find yourself returning to a certain image, not because it means anything special to you, not because it’s easy to draw, not because you’ve somehow amassed a collection of it from thin air, but for reasons that you cant explain? Do you doodle it on post-it notes and in the margins of your notebooks, letting your mind idle and your pen move freely in shapes it’s made a hundred times before? Of course you do! I know I do, and while I have about three or four of those types of images, I’m here to share just one with you today: crystal clusters.

Crystal Cluster Doodles in an Art Journal Spread

Crystals clusters can be tricky, because a a crystalline structure requires straight lines and doesn’t respond kindly to shaky hands. For art journaling and other mixed media works, attempting to create perfect lines over layers of thick paint and overlapping mediums can be a nearly impossible feat. One way that I avoid this issue is to create a simple digital line drawing that I can then print out onto thick paper or card stock. Bristol paper can take a thin layer of watercolor especially nicely, and is available in reams sold with printer paper. Vellum Bristol (in 67 lb) is my go-to for the printed imagery that I use in my mixed media projects! In the image below, you can see two instances in which I’ve used a crystal cluster as the focal imagery of art journal spreads.

Crystal Clusters as Focal Imagery in Art Journal Spreads

In the journal shown above, the red and orange crystals were originally created digitally, whereas the green and yellow clusters were had drawn. The difference in line definition is obvious. For the digital line work, I found it was fairly quick to create, cut out, and adhere in my journal spread. While I often reach for a straight edge when adding large crystals to the pages of my journal, I appreciate the crispness of straight lines that can only be rendered digitally. On occasion, I have also colored these crystals digitally. The image below consists of the same line drawing shown in the orange and red spread above. This version has be altered to include art journal spreads as the coloring of the crystals—which I’m thinking might eventually turn into stickers! This shows you how very different the same line drawing can appear approached as either digital art (below), or as a physical image incorporated into mixed media (above).

Digital Drawing of Crystal Cluster

Would you like to try your hand at using digital line art in your mixed media? I find it relaxing to use imagery that has either been digitally created or is from a photograph; altering these types of images makes them uniquely mine, but are also far less frustrating to botch an image like this than one drawn from scratch! I hope that some of you try your hand at crystal drawing, but because it’s Freebie Wednesday, I”m also sharing some digital line work with you for you to use in your own mixed media artwork! The picture below portrays line work from the PDF that I’m giving you this week, containing digital illustrations of crystals and crystal clusters, which drawn specifically for you!

Preview of Crystal Clusters Freebies

These are HD images are available as a full page PDF file. I advocate using this line works as collage material for your own arty goodness!! Just click the link below to print and/or download the PDF! You can print them out and alter them and collage them into your art! Just get creative and have fun. The only thing that I ask is that you not redistribute these freebies or claim an unaltered version as your own. You do not need to credit me if you use these freebies in your art, but I definitely wouldn’t turn down a shout out!

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The live stream from yesterday (3/26/2017) produced a barely complete spread—but today I was able to totally finish the large spread in my altered book…it took a bit longer than expected. (Forgive the late post, dear artsy friends, but the paint was louder than the computer, and the blog was neglected.) However, I am so glad to say that this spread came out far better than expected, and it was one for which I can be proud! This spread of bright pinks and chocolate browns is chock full of layers and happy thoughts. It’s titled: Celebration. Below is the way that this spread appeared at the end of my Instagram live stream.

“Celebration” Art Journal Page, Work in Progress

It began with one page painted pink, and one page painted brown. After the acrylics were dry, I went to town with more matte acrylics, irredescent paint, and collage material! There were two things that I had in mind when I began the is spread, one being a hanging banner with triangular flags, the other being Neapolitan ice cream; these were items that I saw yesterday which cause me to think, that would be good for journal fodder! I don’t frequently have this thought, so both items stayed on my mind until paint was put to paper. It’s spread like this one which perfectly embody’s Picasso’s quote “Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.”

“Celebration” Completed Art Journal Page

For my hanging flag, I chose a large page from my designated book of collage material, Extreme Adventure (2014), painted it with the Golden brand acrylic paint in Interference Violet that I’ve come to love, and chopped them into neat triangles. The collage material already contained hues of pinks, so I knew a thin layer of the transparent violet interference paint would be a good combination. Layering gold, white, and fluorescent pink paint on and around the flags gave them some definition, and keeping the imagery on a neutral background of light gray allowed for the shapes to stay obvious.

“Celebration” Completed, Golden Interference Violet Acrylic Paint

I choose some other collage material, but ended up tossing it aside this morning the more that I worked on this art journal spread. It was a good jumping off point, which helped move my hand painted imagery along, but seemed to not work with my spread the longer that I worked on it. It’s a good lesson, however, to appreciated the things that inspire you without the need to take them so literally. This is often also how I approach journal prompts as well, taking them with a grain of salt, appreciating the inspiration that they provide, and then letting them escape me once their job is done. Even though I did not choose to use my collage material, I was not without imagery! As seen below, the item which inspired my color scheme also ended up inspiring my main imagery: ice cream! Very fitting for a journal spread, as it’s my biggest weakness.

“Celebration” Completed, Closeup of Left Page

Because I was working in an altered book format, I was able to use some of the imagery already printed on the page—as seen in the photo below. It portrayed the silhouettes of three individuals waiting at a pier, but was altered in order to show only the shapes of the individuals and a poster seen in the background. I love silhouettes, because viewers can understand a representation of human existence, while still providing an element of personal interpretation. I enjoy blending specifics, like shapes, with ambiguity and anonymity. Another great example of this is the illegible cursive writing found on the majority of my spreads; this can also be seen below.

“Celebration” Completed, Closeup of Right Page

Hopefully, you were able to join me for this week’s live stream on my Instagram, but if you weren’t, fear not! I will be streaming every Sunday at 8 pm EST, working in my art journal for all to see! I hope that you can join me sometime, and I especially hope that you’ll be making art with me, chatting about how awesome art journaling is, and letting me know if you have any questions about the many art supplies that I seem to be hoarding. Also, feel free to drop me a line by commenting here on the blog with any questions—or just to say hi!

Disclaimer: I have recently become an Amazon and Get Messy affiliate. Amazon links and Get Messy links are affiliate links. I will receive a small portion of the sale if you use these links to purchase the art supplies or subscribe to the Get Messy community for an annual membership. You support this blog and my ability to continue making art through the use of these links! (And also gain my unending gratitude!!!) The Art Snacks website and all other links included in this post are not affiliate links; they are included for educational purposes and for your convenience.

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The supply that I’m discussing today has been an obsession of mine for about a year, starting from when I discovered it though an online impulse buy. I had been looking into new ways of getting color onto paper, other than the convention routine of paint or pen. That’s when I came across Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay India ink. Since that purchase, I’ve added Daler-Rowney neon inks, the Liquitex INK! muted color edition, and others to my growing collection. I can honestly say that I have developed a love for using bottled ink!

Artist’s Acrylic Inks, Drawing Ink, and India Inks

Ink, like so many other art supplies, can be used beyond it’s initial purpose when combined with the practice of mixed media—which is exactly why my collection is growing. Ink is incredibly versatile as an incarnation of liquid pigment that can be used with a paintbrush, added to acrylics, or dripped and splattered with ease. Most inks are transparent and will stain a surface when applied as a thin layer. Adding a wash of ink will add color without covering the details or imagery. For my use, inks are like permanent watercolors, adding a splash of the unpredictable as it flows across my art!

Daler-Rowney FW Ink in Flame Orange

While I do like to use my inks in conjunction with other mediums, using them alone is also very effective. Inks are highly viscous and transparent, so they make for beautiful watercolor substitutes—especially because the professional and artist’s inks are made with pigments rather than dye. Most name brand inks will not only advertise their pigmentation, but also list the types of pigments used on the bottles or their websites; this is true for both the Daler-Rowney FW and Liquitex INK! colors seen in these photographs. The colored illustration below is a perfect example of how inks can be used as watercolor substitutes, where the inks have been layered and worked with in a wet-on-dry technique.

Octopus Illustration, Daler-Rowney FW Fluorescent Inks

Unlike watercolors, however, inks have the capability of drying as a waterproof colorant. They work well layered in mixed media, as they have the ability to stay unaffected by gel mediums, pens and markers, and acrylic paints. This is true for both acrylic inks and most professional India inks. As you can see in the image below, the India ink has remained unmoved—even under layers liquid varnish, of gel pen ink, and acrylic paints applied via markers.

Mixed Media Mandala, Magenta Bombay India Ink

Of course, you can always use ink they way that they were intended: with a dip nib pen or calligraphy brush! I tend to use my ink for things other than writing, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t use these inks with their traditional tools! I have a small collection of nibs and pen handles, but I frequently reach for the smallest nib to add details and drawings onto the pages of my art journal. I recommend picking up an inexpensive set of nibs and a dip pen handle if you have interest in using inks in your mixed media; you can usually pick up a small set for cheap, like the one by Speedball, which I have, as seen in the image below. It’s a fun way to gain practice with these tools in order to see if calligraphy might also be a good fit for you! (Because, let’s be honest, one artistic hobby is never enough for a creative spirit!)

Since it’s freebie Wednesday, I have some ink-related goodies to share with you! The files available to you this week are hand-painted images of boarders, feathers, and flowers. The downloads are in PNG format with transparent (white on paper) backgrounds! That means that this week’s freebie images are capable of being used as both printable freebies and as hassle-free digital art collage elements! The images were originally painted using the magenta, brown, and violet colors of Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay India ink. They have been digitally altered to offer you these freebies in a variety of hues!

These are HD images available as full page PNG files. I advocate using them as collage material for your own arty goodness!! Just click the links below to print and/or download the PNGs! You can print them out, collage them in your art, or use them as digital goodies! Just get creative and have fun. The only thing that I ask is that you not redistribute these freebies or claim an unaltered version as your own. You do not need to credit me if you use these freebies in your art, but I definitely wouldn’t turn down a shout out!

Disclaimer: I have recently become an Amazon and Get Messy affiliate. Amazon links and Get Messy links are affiliate links. I will receive a small portion of the sale (at no extra cost to you) if you use these links to purchase the art supplies or subscribe to the Get Messy community for an annual membership. You support this blog and my ability to continue making art through the use of these links! (And also gain my unending gratitude!!!) The Art Snacks website and all other links included in this post are not affiliate links; they are included for educational purposes and for your convenience.

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This week, my Instagram live stream session was number 5, and to be honest, I cannot believe that I have been live streaming once a week for over a month! Time flies when you’re making art! This hour-long stream consisted on working in my pocket sized Molskine, and was just as productive as last week’s session! I was able to start an art journal spread, add imagery to the pages, and get a pretty awesome dialogue going with this stream’s participants. I continued to work on the spread beyond Instagram’s limit of one hour, but the image below shows the progress from an uninteresting orange background to an art journal spread with some real personality! The image below is a picture of how my spread looked immediately after the live stream.

“Violet Desert” Art Journal Spread, Work in Progress

As you can see, I was able to alter just some of my collage material during the stream. The cliff, seen on the right page, was slightly altered; however, the matte gel medium used to attach the tree on the left page was still in the process of drying by the time the live stream was over. I discussed my process of using this medium in the live stream, and wanted to share this helpful hint with you as well: if your collage material overlaps beyond the page, wait until the excess paper is completely dry before snipping it away. Giving your collage material extra time to dry is the best way to guarantee clean edges when cutting your paper. Gel medium drys quickly on the exterior but can cause paper to be moist beneath the surface even if it looks and feels dry! The sharpest of scissors will not be able to cleanly cut damp paper, so it’s best to wait until you can be sure the paper is dry all the way through.

“Violet Desert” Art Journal Page, Completed

The creation of this spread was completely unplanned, but the color scheme that I chose for this spread ended up including violet—which was quite lucky for me due to the newest art supplies that I purchased earlier this week! One of my newest items is a Golden brand fluid acrylic paint, the color Interference Violet. The interference paints are not like any that I have ever used before! The paint is a very transparent white with incredibly fine speckles of colored metallic pigment. Depending on the light, the paint can appear as an opaque metallic or a gloss varnish filled with tiny pieces of colored shimmer. It’s a little flashy and adds a really unique effect to the page. Note: A little goes a long way!

“Violet Desert” Completed, Closeup of Left

The collage material for this page was chosen during the live stream session, which came from the book Extreme Adventures (2014), a 240 page full color photography book that displays images of unique locations and exotic animals. I found my copy new for about $7 in a discount store, and purchased it specifically for the purpose of using the imagery as collage material. (At the time of writing this, I found it to be available on Amazon.com for about $6 used with free shipping.) I so recommend using inexpensive coffee table books for their imagery. The pages of these books are thick and the imagery is often perfect for collage!

“Violet Desert” Completed, Closeup of Right

Hopefully, you were able to join me for this week’s live stream, but if you weren’t, fear not! I will be streaming every Sunday at 8 pm EST, working in my art journal for all to see! I hope that you can join me sometime, and I especially hope that you’ll be making art with me, chatting about how awesome art journaling is, and letting me know if you have any questions about the many art supplies that I seem to be hoarding. Also, feel free to drop me a line by commenting here on the blog with any questions—or just to say hi!

Disclaimer: I have recently become an Amazon and Get Messy affiliate. Amazon links and Get Messy links are affiliate links. I will receive a small portion of the sale if you use these links to purchase the art supplies or subscribe to the Get Messy community for an annual membership. You support this blog and my ability to continue making art through the use of these links! (And also gain my unending gratitude!!!) The Art Snacks website and all other links included in this post are not affiliate links; they are included for educational purposes and for your convenience.

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This spread was created an in an altered book, Odysseys and Photographs (2007), and was specifically produced onto these pages due to the unsettling imagery that was already printed on the spread. Somehow these images, unaltered and bizarre, seemed to speak to me in a time of frustration. The photos on these pages originally displayed a restrained lab mouse being injected with a steel syringe, and a man controlling a robotic arm in order to place makeup onto a subject’s face—strange, right? I took the liberty of adding my own peculiar imagery, paired with a color palette inspired by the word visible on that syringe: radioactive. Though it may appear a bit eerie, I actually really like how the spread turned out!

“Radioactive” Art Journal Spread

As I’ve mentioned before, I often find that my art journal spreads are more chaotic and detailed whenever I create while angered or distressed. These types of emotions affect me strongly, but I am also able to pour out frustrations onto a journal spread more easily. It’s therapeutic for me, almost as if I’m removing the negativity—piece by piece—with every stroke and line. This spread has been halfway finished since the end of last year, but I somehow found the inspiration to complete it. I began this spread when I was overwhelmed by some feelings of anger, and the subject matter definitely does not hide this!

Radioactive” Closeup, Left

Although this spread may not depict the most cheerful of illustrations, I was honestly pleased with line work that I created when drawing these skulls. These illustrations are studies of northern american rodent skulls, sketched with a soft lead (Faber Castell 8B lead, jumbo) and inked with a black brush pen (Kuretake No. 7). The original drawings were found in a vintage nature book, a gift to me, and my attempt at replicating them was almost perfect! I’m slowly advancing my drawing skills, and am always delighted whenever I discover that I’m making progress.

“Radioactive” Closeup, Right Top

This spread was started in order to deal with intense negative feelings, but I was able to achieve a sense of accomplishment for the illustrations! The positive feeling of success in my abilities as an artist outweighed my anger. Although I don’t like to leave art journal spreads unfinished, my change in disposition was probably why I was able to close the book on this spread for so long. Creating in my art journal is always such a positive experience for me, and it’s one of the reasons that I love to share this niche hobby with others! I promise you, I haven’t been keeping an art journal for 13 years without benefiting from doing so!

“Radioactive” Closeup, Right Bottom

This journal spread might be finished, but there are about 10 more in this altered book that are only just started! I’ll be working on some of them this weekend, but I’ll definitely be starting a new art journal spread during my Instagram live stream on Sunday at 8 pm EST. If you’ve got the time, don’t forget to join me! Until then, feel free to drop me a line in the comments below!

Disclaimer: I have recently become an Amazon and Get Messy affiliate. Amazon links and Get Messy links are affiliate links. I will receive a small portion of the sale if you use these links to purchase the art supplies or subscribe to the Get Messy community for an annual membership. You support this blog and my ability to continue making art through the use of these links! (And also gain my unending gratitude!!!) All other links included in this post are not affiliate links; they are included for educational purposes and for your convenience.

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It’s the very first FREEBIE WEDNESDAY, and I could not be more delighted to share what I have in store for you today! If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw the hand drawn floral pattern that I shared last week. It was inspired by this Get Messy season, Art 101! Last week, my very first post and tutorial as a Creative Team member went live on the private site. (You can totally check out the site and see if you’d be interested in becoming a member by clicking HERE.) I was extremely excited to see what it would inspire throughout the Get Messy community!! The feedback and art that came out of it was 100% awesomeness! Because of all the pen play happening, I was inspired to create some florals as a simple and quick way to get my pen to paper. The result was unexpectedly beautiful! One flower became two, two became three, and suddenly I had filled an entire page with a gorgeous pattern!

Partially Drawn Floral Pattern from 3/9/2017

If you look through my art, you’re bound to see a lot of abstract shapes, silhouettes, eyes, and animals, but I tend to steer clear of florals. While I find flowers lovely (there’s a fresh bouquet on my desk right now), they just don’t seem to be a good fit with the imagery that I usually produce. However, these roses are special to me. My grandmother was absolutely obsessed with roses, and taught me how to draw them at a very young age. This rose shape is very close to the way that my grandmother taught me, starting in the center and building petals outward with overlapping sections. The image below is a quick tutorial on how I draw these roses, even though—if we’re being honest—they look quite a bit more like begonias or carnations.

4 Step Rose Drawing Tutorial

As you can see in the image below, I remark my lines two or three times so that there is more detail and character to each petal. This makes the edges of each petal appear folded and more natural. You’re more than welcome to try out this design and add it to your archive of floral drawing knowledge! Its just as easy as the simple daisy illustration that so many of us are guilty of doodling! It only took me about thirty minutes to fill an entire 8.5″ by 11″ page. The pen used, as seen below, was one that I received in my Art Snacks subscription box in July ’16. The fine tip, a 0.3 mm, and smooth gel ink a pleasure to work with! It is the Pentel brand Arts® Hybrid Technica used on 67 lb vellum Bristol paper.

Finished Floral Pattern from 3/9/2017

With the wonderful power of technology, I was able to color in the flowers with soft pink and purple hues and invert the line to whites. (This created a pattern that I liked so well it is now the wallpaper for my phone.) I also recolored the flowers with a more traditional red, and then adjusted the hue to green, which made the flowers appear to be succulents.

Preview of Rose Pattern Freebies

All three of these recolored patterns and the drawing in black and white are available to you for download for your personal use! They are HD images available as full page PDFs. I advocate using them as collage material for your own arty goodness!! Just click the links below to print and/or download the PDFs! You can print them out, collage them in your art, or use them as a new desktop wallpaper! Just get creative and have fun. The only thing that I ask is that you not redistribute these freebies or claim an unaltered version as your own. You do not need to credit me if you use these freebies in your art, but I definitely wouldn’t turn down a shout out!

Disclaimer: I have recently become an Amazon and Get Messy affiliate. Amazon links and Get Messy links are affiliate links. I will receive a small portion of the sale if you use these links to purchase the art supplies or subscribe to the Get Messy community for an annual membership. You support this blog and my ability to continue making art through the use of these links! (And also gain my unending gratitude!!!) The Art Snacks website and all other links included in this post are not affiliate links; they are included for educational purposes and for your convenience.